Teach students about tolerance and pluralism: Pranab to teachers

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday asked the country’s teachers to instil tolerance and pluralism among their students on Teacher’s Day—the birth anniversary of former president and a prominent philosopher Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

Mukherjee’s message assumes significance in the backdrop of rising cases of intolerance and tendency of fringe elements to dictate lifestyle lessons to others.(Twitter)

President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday asked the country’s teachers to instil tolerance and pluralism among their students on Teacher’s Day—the birth anniversary of former president and a prominent philosopher Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan.

Mukherjee’s message assumes significance in the backdrop of rising cases of intolerance and tendency of fringe elements to dictate lifestyle lessons to others.

“Teachers should instill in children civilizational values of sacrifice, tolerance, pluralism, understanding & compassion,” the President wrote on Twitter on Monday.

Underlining that “a sound education system is the bedrock of an enlightened society”, Mukherjee maintained that “an inspired teacher links the individual goals of the students to the societal and national goals.”

In his speeches in the past, Mukherjee expressed concern of growing intolerance and hatred towards minorities and Dalits. He had also cautioned people in power and lawmakers against such dangerous, bigotry tendencies of fringe elements.

The President also said that “inspired teachers are the building blocks of a good education.”

Mukherjee, who started his career as a college teacher before joining politics, said: “Our teachers need to imbibe technology & new methodologies to create modern &effective approaches to teaching & learning.”

“Let us on this day dedicate ourselves to building a strong and vibrant nation,” he added.

President Mukherjee also interacted with and conducted a class for students of Dr Rajendra Prasad Sarvodaya Vidyalaya located inside the Rashtrapati Bhawan on the occasion. Around 80 students of Class 11 and 12 of the school attended the President’s class.

He will also address teachers from various government schools in Delhi.

Radhakrishnan, a scholar of comparative religion and proponent of Advaita Vedanta who countered western criticism of Hinduism, held the King George fifth chair of mental and moral science at the University of Calcutta between 1921 and 1932. He was also the Spalding professor of eastern religion and ethics at the University of Oxford between 1936 and 1952.